Saturday, August 18, 2007

Matters

A new Friendship blogger award! Genevieve Olsen over at Bella-Enchanted wrote the following just 16 days ago:

So I have noticed a lot of blog awards out there lately, and it has gotten me thinking about nominations. Who would I nominate for say the rocker girl blog award. And then I started thinking that the Gals I am reading do rock, but there is more to them, there is caring, friendship and inspiration too. So I am starting my own blog award! This award will be awarded to those that are just nice people, good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world! I am naming this award the Nice Matters Blog Award I will begin my naming a few of those that I feel deserve this award and I would like for those awarded to name 7 others. That is it! Feel free to use the above button to tell everyone that someone thinks you are nice!

I had never been to Bella-Enchanted before today. However Aliki of World of One Thousand Different Things was quite rightly awarded the Nice Matters Award and in turn, she gave one to me. Thanks Aliki.

I am always curious about who starts these awards and will sometimes track back to see if I can find the originator. I got lost pretty quickly with this trail of bread crumbs and so I googled "Who started the Nice Matters Award." And guess what? Google knew!

So now it is my turn to award the Nice Matters Award.

1) Pam of MarillaAnne. Pam is a great encourager. Although her blogging has slowed down in the last few months, she is by nature a gatherer, an initiater of good deeds and an overall ray of sunshine. She takes things to heart, such as BooMama's crusade to raise money for Kelli who was in need of money to keep her insurance going while she waited for a kidney transplant. Pam matters.

2) Beck of Frog and Toad are Still Friends. I give Beck this award because she writes nice. Nice as in well. She has a wonderful sense of whimsy that will steer directly into the profound. Many a day I walk away from my computer remembering how precious my children are and vowing to remember that every day. Beck matters.

3) Maddy McEwen of Whitterer on Autism. Writing with the intention of keeping things light, Maddy writes with much self-deprecation about life with her family, two of which, her young sons, have autism. I think it would be easy to spend time focusing on the negative or getting passionate about how the world looks at children with autism. However, she makes me laugh almost every day as she recounts her children's perspective and unique way of looking at the world. In doing so, I am in awe of her perspective and, I think, given a fresh point of view which I hope I will carry with me. Maddy matters.

4) Shari of Lambs by the Ocean. I found Shari's blog one day and it wasn't too long before we realized we knew some of the same people. What a small world the blogosphere can be! Shari posts many of the beautiful pictures she takes along with poems and songs or just her own simple words of gratitude and appreciation for life and creation. She just had a beautiful baby girl (Congrats you guys!) and I can't wait to read about parenting from Shari's bright point of view. Shari matters.

5) Atypical of nonsensical text. Atypical and I have made much of the sense of twinship we've discovered in each other. She is the introvert. I am the extrovert. There have many a time that I truly am amazed at reading what she has to say for I have thought the same thing. Atypical gets the Nice Matters award for her gentle love of the inane and her thoughtfulness. She has often pointed out to me blog posts which she thinks I will enjoy (and I always do). She always has a fresh, engaging thoughts on any subject. She also wrote a very special poem just for me! Atypical matters.

6) Meredith of Poppy Fields. There are two blog which have been major sources for my blogroll: BubandPie and Toddled Dredge. It was over at Toddled Dredge that I first found Meredith. She is a gentle soul with two beautiful children. An American ex-pat in Provence, I can not get enough of her writing about life in France. She posts beautiful pictures, writes about food, her music, her children. What comes across so strongly is that she has a lovely life and that she knows it. She makes me want to go to Provence. Meredith matters.

7) Tabba of Mrs. Incredible. Tabba's Nice Matters award is being awarded for more specific events--not that she isn't always nice. A while back Tabba wrote about two people she came across where she lives. Taking a risk, in more ways than one, she sought out and gave food and attention to these two people. I admire Tabba. I agree completely with what she did but I don't know if I would have had the personal courage or conviction to do the same. Thanks for the example, Tabba. You matter.


This is an open ended award. Anyone is free to nab the button and give it out. You don't have to wait until it is given to you.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

By gum! Thank you so much for thinking of me, I'm very touched and I promise to try and play fair.

Thank you also for a good selection of new blogs to go and visit - you know how we all swear on personal recommendations! So many blogs, so little time.
Best wishes

Shari said...

Thank you Mary! :-) You're so sweet . . . this made my day.

deedee said...

Thank you! What a nice surprise to find after a week in the mountains. I'll definitely pass this on.

Beck said...

Thank you so much - what a nice thing to wake up to!

Tabba said...

Thank you so much, Mary-LUE.

You matter so much to me. Your comments always lift me up.

I'll be sure to do my part to pass this on for my post tomorrow (Monday).

Sharon L. Holland said...

Ooh, you listed at least two of my favorites. Lovely.

daisies said...

what a lovely award you have created :)

Julie Pippert said...

Of course it came to you. :) So well-deserved, and such a nice thing.

I see the people you passed it to, and I know of them, have been by. They are great bloggers. I struggle so much with all I want to read and my natural limitations.

Julie
Ravin' Picture Maven

N. said...

Congratulations to everyone!

Anonymous said...

Congrats! You deserve it!

Tara Lamont said...

Mary-
I awarded you!
Come see me at my blog!
Tara

atypical said...

um, you made me cry. Thank you. Now all I have to do is manage to find some computer time topass it along (and hopefully write more too).

You deserved this one, woman!

-t

Anonymous said...

Congrats everybody!

I'm Pam's daughter. I'll see if i can pull her out of Second Life long enough for her to come claim her award =)

Anonymous said...

A well-deserved award for you, Mary-Lue! Congrats!